1-Week Jordan Itinerary
Recently we spent seven days in Jordan, and in this travel guide, we would like to share with you our perfect Jordan one-week itinerary. Jordan is an ideal country when you are short on time, but no worries. In only one week, we will explore the capital Amman, Madaba, King's Highway, Wadi Rum, Petra, the Dead Sea, Jerash, and Desert Castles. Includes things to do, must-visit places, top attractions, and tips on where to stay.
Jordan is an ideal destination for a short holiday, although this small country is so incredibly diverse that we would be able to spend there much longer.
But this time we had only eight days for the Jordan itinerary, and because the last day we had our flight early in the morning, factually we had only one week in the Hashemite Kingdom.
If you've already decided that Jordan is a country you want to visit soon, now comes the hard part.
The part where you have to figure out how many days you are going to need to see all the top attractions and best things Jordan has to offer, what places you are going to visit, when will be the best time to travel to the country, or what will be the best way to get around the destination.
We will answer all your questions in our other posts focusing on this Middle Eastern country, but here we will share with you our seven days Jordan itinerary.
Even though one week in Jordan might seem like a short time, the country is very compact, and if you decide to rent a car, visiting most of the major sites is absolutely doable in seven days.
Roman ruins, mosaics, religiously significant sights, one of the lowest places on Earth - the Dead Sea, vast deserts, canyons, castles, great food, friendly people, sunshine, and the absolute highlight, the Lost City of Petra, are the main reasons why to visit Jordan.
With our itinerary, you will be able to see all those places in only one week, and this time we even do not have a feeling that this travel schedule is packed to the brim as usual.
Yes, some days are long but so rewarding that you will always look forward to what the next day brings.
Here is our perfect one-week Jordan itinerary. Feel free to get inspired and follow our journey, but of course, we encourage you to make changes according to your preferences and travel plans.
This Jordan itinerary was designed by independent travelers for independent travelers, and we hope you will find it useful.
IS ONE WEEK IN JORDAN ENOUGH?
But first things first. Before you start planning your perfect Jordan itinerary, you might first think whether only seven days in Jordan are enough to fully explore the country.
After having visited Jordan ourselves, in good conscience, we can say that it is.
Of course, you won't see everything (that is hardly possible anywhere with even more time to spare though), but you will visit the top sights the country has to offer.
This itinerary can be easily extended to ten days as well. We decided to spend in Wadi Rum one night, same as in Petra, but you can in each destination stay for an extra day if you wish to.
Also, we traveled to Jordan at the beginning of March, and the famous Wadi Mujib canyon was closed.
If you will be in Jordan between April and October when the canyon is open, we suggest to you to add one more day, or if you want to stick to the one-week itinerary, leave out a place which seems the least interesting to you.
JORDAN 1-WEEK ITINERARY
According to our personal experience, the best way how to get around Jordan is by rental car.
Unfortunately, at the moment public transport in the country is not that reliable, and you would not be able to visit all the places on our itinerary in only seven days.
Unless you are crossing borders on land from the neighboring countries, you will most likely arrive in Jordan by plane and your first destination will be Queen Alia International Airport.
This is also where our journey around Jordan starts.
Since our Jordan itinerary is a loop, you can choose a direction that suits you the best.
DAY 1 | MADABA
We landed in Jordan after midday, picked up a car, bought a sim card, and were ready for our long-awaited road trip to begin. Queen Alia International Airport is about 45 minutes' drive from Amman, but the traffic can be heavy, and it can take longer, and only 20 minutes drive from another must-visit place, Madaba.
Therefore, we decided that Madaba will be the first destination on our itinerary and headed to Madaba directly from the airport. Not only because of the short distance from the airport but also because we knew that we can see the best of Madaba in only a couple of hours.
We arrived in Madaba after 1 PM, checked-in in our hotel, and went out straight away. The center of Madaba is small and very compact, so make sure you will book your hotel near the center in order to maximize your time.
Most of the time, you can park your car in front of your hotel, and start sightseeing right after your arrival.
Madaba is a city famous for mosaics, churches, mosques, and remnants of Roman civilization, and there are many things to do in Madaba.
The most well-known attractions and the reason why Madaba is on every traveler's list is Saint George's Church alias the Church of the Map.
Inside the church on the floor is a large Byzantine mosaic which is also, to this date, the oldest map of Palestine.
Except for the church, you should not miss both Archeological Parks, Carpet City, King Hussain Mosque, St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church from where you can get amazing views of Madaba, Madaba museum, or Church of the Apostles.
To see it all, we recommend you to have at least three to four hours. In case you arrived in Madaba early in the morning, you can also visit Mount Nebo so you can hit the King's Highway the next day early.
Where to stay in Madaba: Budget: Madaba Hotel | Mid-range: Grand Hotel Madaba | Mid-range: Mosaic City Hotel
DAY 2 | KING'S HIGHWAY
The second day on our itinerary is quite long, so it is essential to start early in the morning.
This day you are going to explore King's Highway, one of the highlights of Jordan, which will take you to Wadi Musa, alias Petra.
Although there are three highways in Jordan connecting the south and the north of the country, King's Highway is the most traveled one with international tourists because it features wonderful views and many tourist sights.
When following our itinerary, you will later drive the Jordan Valley Highway (also known as the Dead Sea Highway), but this time we will leave out Desert Highway. But that's completely fine because Desert Highway serves as the fastest connection between northern and southern parts, and there is not that much to see. But back to the point.
Road 35 alias King's Highway stretches between Madaba and Wadi Musa. Although the distance between these two places is only 228 kilometers, it will take you at least four hours, and it would be without stopping and making side trips!
King's Highway has been extensively traveled for over 5000 years and its surroundings are dotted with significant attractions. Although it is not possible to visit them all, we did our best to see as much as we could in only one day.
If you want to take it more slowly or traveling in winter, you can consider splitting traveling along the highway in two days.
Our first stop on King's Highway was Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is only fifteen minutes' drive from Madaba, and it is one of the most visited sites in Jordan.
From the top of the hill, you will get wonderful views of the Dead Sea and the Promised Land. Next to the viewpoint stands the unique Brazen Serpent Monument, and you can also go inside Moses Memorial Church which features yet other mosaics.
Then we followed the road and carried on to Mukawir ruins.
That was one of the stops we were not sure about as it was a detour off the highway, but we were glad we had it on our itinerary. Mukawir is a hill with Roman ruins and columns on the top, and although the ruins require your imagination, the views from Mukawir are really worth it.
The next stop was ruins of Umm ar-Rasas. This UNESCO World Heritage site was at first military base camp, but when the Romans left Christians arrived (and later Muslims), so that's why remnants of churches and mosques are on this site.
Although from the distance Umm ar-Rasas looks rather like a pile of rocks, when you'll come closer you can see the remnants of ancient buildings, mosaics (some of them waiting to be uncovered), arches, and fortifications.
It is the truth that this site is not in its best condition, but still, we would put it on your seven-day itinerary.
Before we returned to King's Highway, we stopped by Al Lahun, a wonderful viewpoint not many people visit.
Then we joined the road 35 again, and finally reached one of the most stunning viewpoints in Jordan, only three kilometers past Dhiban.
From this point, the road became more scenic, and we were really enjoying the ride.
Then we arrived in Karak, a city which is home to the famous Crusader’s Karak Castle. It was getting late, and we had less than two hours for the visit, but it was enough to explore the nooks of this medieval gem.
This was our last stop on King's Highway (except for random photo spots), and from Karak, we drove straight to Petra. But if you have more time, you can also visit Shobak Castle or plan on hiking in Dana Reserve.
We arrived in Wadi Musa after dark, found our hotel, then a restaurant, and could not wait for the next day
Where to stay in Wadi Musa: Budget: Cabin Rooftop Hostel | Mid-range: Town Season Hotel | Luxury: Mövenpick Resort Petra
DAY 3 | PETRA
Petra, the New Wonder of the World, and another UNESCO-listed site in Jordan is the true highlight and the reason why this country is so popular among travelers. Simply put, it is not possible to travel in Jordan and not to see Petra (more than a million travelers are headed to Petra yearly).
Visiting Petra is the most expensive thing you are going to do in Jordan, but it is not that bad if you purchase Jordan Pass before your arrival.
Petra, the ancient Nabatean city famous for tombs and houses carved into pink sandstone is absolutely incredible, and for some of you, only one day in the Lost City of Petra might not seem enough.
We spent a full day in Petra, walked more than 30 kilometers that day and saw the most significant attractions this place has to offer, but for those of you who want to explore the site more thoroughly or only want to take it slowly, it is possible to buy a ticket for two or three consecutive days.
For us, one day was enough. Even though it is not possible to avoid seeing photos of Petra before the actual visit, the vastness, the views and the number of monuments carved out of rock will blow you away.
In fact, Petra is not only about the narrow canyon (Siq) which will take you to the iconic Treasury, probably the most photographed monument in Petra. Not at all.
Even though the sight of Treasury is really mindblowing, there is a large number of tombs, viewpoints overlooking the city (High Place of Sacrifice just to name a few), churches, temples, gates, and places with a similar significance like Treasury, for example, Monastery or Colonnaded Street.
If you are a history geek, hire a guide by the entrance, for us, it was enough to read information boards and LP Jordan guidebook.
The day in Petra was really long and challenging because of the lack of shade, but the weather here is not always sunny, so read our Petra Packing List, so you will be ready for every possibility.
We think it is really worth it to be in Petra for the whole day, we would recommend you to reserve as much time as you can for this place. The site opens at 6 AM, and in March, which is still considered as off-season, we were leaving after 5 PM.
When searching for information about Petra, you will for sure come across a term Petra by Night. It is a night performance happening every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday when visitors have a unique opportunity to see the Siq and Treasury lit up only by candles.
We are not into staged performances and did not want to pay an additional 17 JD, but it is for sure an option on how to finish this wonderful day.
Once again, we slept in Wadi Musa, so when looking for accommodation, search for the best hotels, or check out our recommendation in the text above.
DAY 4 | WADI RUM
Wadi Rum is the famous Jordanian desert, and based on our experience, this place deserves at least one full day of your time. But first things first.
In the morning we left Wadi Musa and decided to take a short detour to Little Petra.
As the name suggests, Little Petra is a smaller version of Petra. Even though it is not that impressive, we really enjoyed our time there (plan at least one hour for the visit), mostly because we arrived early in the morning, and the site was completely abandoned.
After Little Petra, we headed to Wadi Rum.
The drive from Wadi Musa takes approximately two hours. We suggest booking your campsite in advance, and also choosing an activity you would like to do in the desert.
In Wadi Rum, there is a choice of camel tour, jeep tour, or hiking.
We have opted for a jeep tour, and it did not disappoint. Our guide picked us up in Wadi Rum village around 11 AM, and we spent the whole day until the sunset in the desert while driving around several points of interest.
Wadi Rum is incredibly photogenic, and it is necessary to have your camera, memory cards, and spare batteries ready all the time.
Dunes, weathered rocks and red sand is everywhere around, and we absolutely understand the bedouins, that they proudly call this place home.
We know that many people prefer to visit Wadi Rum only on a one-day trip, but even in this one-week itinerary, there is a time to spend a night in the desert.
Sleeping in the desert was one of the highlights of our trip to Jordan.
If the day in Wadi Rum was incredible, the night was absolutely magical. It all started with a tasty dinner and continued with watching the starry sky and listening to the stories of bedouins while sitting around the fire with a hot tea in hand.
We spent a night in a tent, got up before sunrise, had breakfast, and then our guide took us back to the village where we parked our car and continued in our journey.
Where to stay in Wadi Rum: Budget: Joy of Life | Mid-range: Beyond Wadi Rum Camp | Luxury: Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel
DAY 5 | DEAD SEA
What is it like to visit a place below sea level? Today you are going to find out.
We've already mentioned that Jordan is a very diverse country, and the stops on our today's itinerary proves that. From Wadi Rum we drove around Aqaba as we wanted to join Jordan Valley Highway.
Aqaba is Jordan's resort town on the shore of the Red Sea, and if time allows, you can book here a snorkeling or scuba diving tour.
If you want to extend this itinerary, you can also relax in Aqaba for a few days. But it was not our case as we were headed to the Dead Sea.
The landscape in the western part of the country is again absolutely different. It is grayish, almost abandoned, and only now and then we could spot colorful shepherd's tents.
Then the scenery changed again, and we knew we were approaching the shores of the sea as we passed around heavy machinery, which is used for salt mining.
The Dead Sea is shared by two countries, Jordan and Israel, and is famous for its salinity. Because of the high salinity, aquatic organisms are not able to live in the waters of the sea, therefore the name.
Even though there are several luxury resorts along the Dead Sea, such as Dead Sea Kempinski Hotel, we decided to swim in the sea for free.
Not only because we wanted to save money, but we also wanted to swim wherever we wanted without the crowds.
As it turned out, finding a spot to swim in the Dead Sea was not that easy as we presumed because the highway leads on a high cliff above the shores, but we managed to find a place.
Swimming in the Dead Sea is strange, it is more like floating, but it is fun, and you should definitely try it.
Later we stopped near Wadi Mujib. The canyon was closed at the time of our visit because it opens in April when there is a lower chance of flash floods. We only enjoyed a quick view from the entrance and carried on.
Wadi Mujib is also a popular one day trip from Amman, so when traveling in the season, you can visit it either from the capital, or implement it in your Dead Sea Highway itinerary.
On day five we wanted to get to Jerash, and because we still had time before sunset, we needed to make a decision whether to visit The Baptismal Site of Jesus Christ or the city of as-Salt.
We opted for the latter one, and we spent about two hours in a hilly city featuring wonderful views, architecture, and a very lively market. Then we drove to Jerash, where we spent a night.
Where to stay in Jerash: Budget: Full Panorama To Archaeological Site Jerash | Budget: 1955 Heart of Jerash
DAY 6 | JERASH & DESERT CASTLES
After Petra, the Roman ruins of Jerash is the second most visited tourist site in Jordan. There are several explanations.
The first and the easiest one says that Jerash is less than an hour from the capital city of Amman, therefore the ruins see that many visitors. But we lean towards the second explanation. Jerash ruins are so wonderful, that no visitor of Jordan wants to miss it.
Really, Jerash is high on our list of the best things to see in Jordan, and because the complex is vast, you should allocate at least three to four hours for the visit.
The Roman ruins of Jerash are relatively well-preserved and show its visitors remnants of the architecture from the Roman times.
There are several highlights in Jerash such as Hadrian's Arch, Hippodrome, Forum, Cardo Maximus or theatres, but there are so many smaller buildings, columns, and details, that it is worth it to walk around Jerash thoroughly.
As our seven days Jordan itinerary was coming to an end, we knew we needed to get to Amman.
But we did not want to drive straight to the city, so we decided to explore Desert Castles Loop. The weather that afternoon was not in its best, it was windy and rainy, and for a while, we drove through a dust storm, but in the end, we safely made it to the castles.
There are many castles in this part of the country, but those three we visited are the most famous ones.
It is Qasr Azraq, Qusayr Amra and Qasr Kharana. Again, it is possible to reach the castles on a one-day trip from Amman.
Once we saw the last castle on our way, we drove to Amman.
It was dark already, so we left sightseeing for the last day.
Where to stay in Amman: Budget: Gallery Guest House | Mid-range: Nomads Hotel | Luxury: Amman Rotana
DAY 7 | AMMAN
As we've already said at the beginning of this blog post, this seven-day itinerary is a loop, so you can either start or finish your road trip in Amman.
We decided that it will be better to keep Amman for the end of our Jordan trip.
Even though many people say that there is not much to do in Amman, and many travelers head straight from the airport to the crown jewels of Jordan, we think that the capital of Jordan deserves at least a day on your itinerary.
In fact, there are many things to do in Amman and it would be a mistake to skip this lively city.
Amman is a chaotic city with a compact city center, and it is not hard to reach most of the highlights on foot.
The must-visit place in Amman is the Citadel towering on a hill above the city.
Then you should not miss the Roman Theatre, Odeon, Nymphaeum, markets, Rainbow Street, King Abdullah Mosque, or Jordan Museum.
Amman is also a city with many restaurants for every budget, so for the last time, you can eat delicious falafel, hummus or baba ganoush.
If you have really only seven days, you need to adjust your plans to the flight schedule. We had the flight the next day in the morning back to our hometown, Prague, so we could enjoy a full day in Amman.
Read this post on how to get to the airport from Amman.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
WHEN TO VISIT JORDAN
Although it might seem that this topic is not that important when planning your Jordan itinerary, the opposite is true. Because not only weather can significantly affect your travels, but it is also necessary to know when the sun goes up and down.
In winter, you can expect only about six hours of daylight, therefore you won't be able to see as much as we did in only seven days.
We visited the country in spring when the days are longer, the sunrise was around 6 AM and sunset just before 6 PM.
So it was quite enough for sightseeing, while the daylight during the summer is even longer.
Read our in-depth guide, if you want to know more about when is the best time to visit Jordan.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
